HavisIn some individuals, there is a certain indomitable spirit that allows them or pushes them to rise above the well of despair that their lives may be. Long after others have given up and often in spite of crushing obstacles, they will push on. Such is the story of Ferdinand Havis, perhaps the ultimate rags-to-riches story in Arkansas History. Born a slave, he rose to become a millionaire businessman. Havis was born as a slave on a plantation in...

Roane Part Two: Embarking on an ambitious journeyBy 1847, John Seldon Roane, at the age of 30, had already served in war, practiced as an attorney, become Speaker of the Arkansas House of Representatives, and survived a duel. However, he was about to embark on the most consequential adventures of his life. After the Mexican War and later duel, he had contented himself with his law firm in Jefferson County and his prospering plantation when an opportunity suddenly appeared. Gov. Thomas S. Dre...

What happened to our innocence?This Thanksgiving I am thankful for growing up in a small town in Arkansas during the '50s. We did things and said things then that people are afraid to do and say today because of "political correctness." During that decade, we had not heard of Ms. Manners or the ACLU. We were just free to live our lives in the only way we knew how -- naturally and innocently. We intended no offence and none appeared to be taken. It was a comfortable time to ...

Roane served as lawyer, general, governorJohn Seldon Roane was one of the early leaders of Arkansas in the period just after statehood. He arrived in Arkansas in its formative years and led the state in time of war and in time of peace. He would eventually serve as a lawyer, general, and governor. Roane was born in Lebanon, Tenn., in January 1817. His father was a well-known merchant, and his family was fairly wealthy and had many political connections. One of his uncles had served a...

The day the church bells tolledI did not make my deadline the week of D-Day so I am telling this story now in celebration of Veterans Day. It has been 72 years since WWII ended and we still have Americans engaged in war on foreign soil. I pray for their safety daily along with their families left at home. I am also writing to say, "God bless all veterans! Thank you!!!!!" Except for those Halcion days between June 6, 1944, and the beginning of the Korean War, my generation h...

Robinson's short term had impactoseph Taylor Robinson had one of the shortest terms as governor in state history but perhaps had one of the most profound impacts. The Lonoke native, lawyer, one-time teacher, and son of a country doctor and Baptist minister was an idealist and determined to make the government serve the people. Robinson had a long career of reform. After he was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1894 at the age of 22 to represent Lonoke County, ...

Travis Watkins took charge against overwhelming oddsIt has been said that heroism is defined as holding on for one moment longer. A moment can save a life or change the destiny of a nation. Travis Watkins, a native Arkansan, was one such hero who took charge and held on against overwhelming odds, saving the lives of his men in the process and receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions. Travis Watkins was born in Waldo, a small community in Columbia County, in 1920. The family wo...

The case against abortionI want to spend a few minutes discussing the issue of abortion and the issue of choice. As a Christian I do not believe in, or support, abortion. I believe that life begins at conception, that the taking of an unborn life is wrong, and that it is condemned by God. I support this belief biblically, with passages like: - Psalm 139:13 – “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.” - Isaiah 44:2(a) – “Thus says th...

Fred was our other childThis is on my heart today. IF you happen to be a pet-lover, perhaps you will read. I'll return to my "old style" next time. December 2014. Last night I watched the movie "Marley And Me" on television. At the ending, I cried like a baby and nestled Fred closer to me as we lay in bed. I don't know if you've seen this old movie based on a true story and starring Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson but, if you ever do, have plenty of Kleenex handy. ...

Judge Howard fought for progress"So when is the time right?" Judge George Howard once asked in an interview. For his entire adult life, he fought for civil rights and basic justice for all Arkansans. He had faced many bitter criticisms of his work, often told that the time was not right for some small progress on civil rights. Through his work, he opened many doors in the fight for progress and civil liberties. George Howard, Jr., was born in Pine Bluff in 1924. When World W...

Frank Pace helped organize army forcesExtraordinary and meaningful lives are not always ones found in the headlines. Sometimes, they are lives lived through persistent service to others. An able administrator, Frank Pace was able to organize anything from the army to educational television, providing invaluable service to the nation. Frank Pace Jr. was born in Little Rock on July 5, 1912. The family did not stay in Arkansas long and soon moved to Pennsylvania. He received a privat...

Robert Wallace took Arkansas by stormStories of children orphaned by war often dominate the news. These children sometimes grow up to do remarkable things. Robert Wallace was one such story. Though a largely forgotten figure today, Wallace at one time took Arkansas by storm and became a leader in a nationwide moral crusade. Robert Minor Wallace was born in August 1856 in New London, at the time a prosperous farming community in eastern Union County. He was one of three children, ...

Noted actor Dick Powell was an Arkansas nativeThough often forgotten today, Stone County native Dick Powell was one of the most familiar faces in Hollywood in his 30-year film career. His hard work and talent led him from Arkansas to tour the world and work with some of the most famous actors of the day. Richard Ewing Powell was born in Mountain View in 1904. His father was a salesman, and his mother taught him music. In 1914, his family moved to Little Rock, where Powell's interest in pe...

Mifflin GibbsOften, people will get out of life what they put into it. For Mifflin Gibbs, that meant traveling the world looking for new opportunity and working hard to push himself ahead. While some details of his life have been lost, it is clear that Gibbs lived a remarkable life of adventure and public service. Mifflin Wistar Gibbs was born as a free man in 1823 in Philadelphia. His father was a respected minister. Tragically, his father died in 1831, l...

How to be a good wifeThe Ideal Wife -- 1950s version In September 2013, our movers deposited 17 boxes of books in our lower level "walk-out." Recently, four boxes remained unopened -- their packaging telling me they'd been moved from attic to attic for over 50 years! Going to work, I stopped midway through box No. 15. There, I lifted out what had been my 10th grade Home Economics text. I recognized the yellow cover immediately. On the front was a pretty young woma...

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BY BRENDA MILES
brenstar@att.netThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

President Zachary Taylor was a problem solverWar hero and president are how Zachary Taylor is usually remembered, if at all. Though obscure today, he was at one time one of the most famous figures in the country. An Arkansas resident for a time, "Old Rough and Ready," as his troops affectionately called him, stirred the nation's imagination. Taylor was born into a wealthy plantation family in central Virginia in 1784. As a youth, his family left Virginia for Kentucky. The area was still ...

9/11A steel beam sits on a pedestal in El Dorado, witnessing the light of each new day as it has for the past fifteen years. A decade and a half before, it had been part of the World Trade Center in New York. Now, in the midst of a vibrant, green lawn on the South Arkansas Community College campus, it is part of the Arkansas 9/11 Memorial. The memorial site, dedicated in 2011, pays tribute to the nearly 3,000 Americans who lost their lives on the ...

More wedding mishapsGirls usually begin dreaming of their marriage around the age of 12. Over the years, the groom in the dream may change, but not the idyllic wedding. In her mind, the flower-adorned church is filled with admiring guests to watch her float down the aisle in her gown of perfection. NEVER does a last minute glitch arise. One plans a wedding very carefully to avoid any mishap on the "Day of Days." Everything looks beautiful on paper. At the hint of...

Snyder, from paperboy to secretary of the TreasuryWithin my lifetime, we have gone from cranking telephones to interplanetary communications," John Wesley Snyder marveled at his own life. His own life was a marvel, moving from delivering the Jonesboro Evening Sun as a youngster to eventually serving in the cabinet of President Harry S. Truman. Snyder was born in Jonesboro in 1895. His father was a pharmacist and inventor and active in the community. He encouraged his son from a young age to s...

Wedding bell bluesAugust 2 was our 52nd anniversary. Thinking about this big milestone brought back some funny memories. One thing you can count on with any wedding-- regardless how well it is planned--SOMETHIN' is gonna' go wrong. Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls, as they used to say on "Laugh-In." I played piano for a lot of weddings in my younger life and witnessed many "mishaps"-some funny, some disastrous. I also consulted pastor friends and photogra...